A clear and present commitment to the running game not only gave the Philadelphia Eagles a chance to beat the heavily favored Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night but also gave them such a big second-half lead that they were able to hold on and pull off their greatest victory of the season, 30-23.

With Nick Foles replacing the injured Carson Wentz at quarterback, the ball wasn’t thrown as much and came out much quicker when it was.

Foles under fire

Of all the plays Foles and the Eagles made on their way to a field goal on their first offensive series, a hurried dump that fell incomplete might have been the biggest key.

Foles just made a quick decision to unload the ball as the pocket collapsed on a first-down play from the Rams’ 40.

Had he hesitated and held the ball even a half-second longer there, which Wentz has done time and again in similar situations this season, he’s dumped himself for a sack and a big loss.

And if that happens, the Eagles likely aren’t in range for Jake Elliott to attempt a field goal three plays later. He made good from 51 yards on fourth-and-3.

That play also was the closest Foles came to taking a sack. He had a fairly clean uniform by the end of a game in which he completed 24 passes in 31 attempts for 270 yards.

He stood tall in the pocket and took some big hits, but his timing was incredible and he knew he’d be able to get them off.

Foles said it was a matter of focus that came after brushing aside all the distractions of suddenly being thrust back into a starter’s role and then having the benefit of balance.

“We were able to spread the ball around,” he said. “That was important. Also, the line did a great job. … and we were able to run the ball too. So I thought with [coach] Doug’s [Pederson] play-calling, keeping them off balance, giving them different looks, we were able to execute at a high level.”

Another reason for Foles’ and the Eagles’ success could have been a slight change in targets, which brings us to our next point.

Alshon delivers

Amazing what can happen when you target your top receiver more than your top tight end.

That’s what happened on this night when Alshon Jeffery caught all eight passes thrown his way for 160 yards.

That yardage total was the highest he’s had as an Eagle.

More impressive were the catches he was forced to make. He caught underthrows, overthrows, 50-50 balls.

He caught everything.

Although Foles started the first two games of the season, Jeffery missed the first three while recovering from offseason surgery, so this was the first time they had worked together in a game since the Super Bowl.

“I watched all the practices, been doing the scout team,” Foles said. “I know the guys. I just read their body language and throw the ball.”

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

The Eagles evened their record at 7-7 and finish the regular season with a home game against Houston and road game against Washington.

The Eagles evened their record at 7-7 and finish the regular season with a home game against Houston and road game against Washington. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Not going there

Despite all that happened and how easy it would have been to do so, Pederson wasn’t about to proclaim Foles the starter for the rest of the year.

Corner alignment

With Sidney Jones (hamstring) still hurting and unable to go and Avonte Maddox ready to return from a three-week absence, the Eagles opened the game against the Rams’ three-wideout set with Maddox playing the left outside corner, opposite Rasul Douglas, and Cre’Von LeBlanc inside as the nickel.

This has been quite a rookie season for Maddox, who now has played every spot in the secondary as a rookie.

Maddox would go on to make an interception in the second quarter and then be there to prevent Josh Reynolds from making a big catch as time expired to preserve the win. He’s probably been their most valuable rookie this season, given his versatility.

Maddox wanted the ball thrown his way at the end.

“Every play I’m on the field, I anticipate the play coming to me,” Maddox said. “I mean, it’s just my attitude. That’s how your mindset’s got to be, so when they do come, you’re going to be ready. You don’t want to be not ready and then have to get ready. So you just stay ready.”

When LeBlanc came out of the game briefly in the third quarter to be checked for a concussion — he was cleared — safety Malcolm Jenkins moved down into the slot and Tre Sullivan came in at safety.

Soft underbelly

Already hurting at the defensive tackle spot because of Timmy Jernigan’s season-long back injury and the ineffectiveness of Haloti Ngata, the Eagles were once again challenged to stop the run.

Rams RB Todd Gurley burned them for 49 first-half yards on just 10 carries and the Rams finished the half with a highly efficient 75 rushing yards on just 13 attempts, including a 7-yard scramble by quarterback Jared Goff.

Thanks to help from the offense, which ran their point total to 30 by the end of the third quarter, the Eagles didn’t have to worry about the Rams, who entered the fourth quarter trailing 30-13, staying as balanced the rest of the way.

This was actually immense since Fletcher Cox (hip) and Michael Bennett (shoulder) were forced out briefly with injuries.

Cox actually was carted off the field, but “there was no way I was not going to finish that game,” he said. “ … “I’ll deal with that pain tomorrow.”

So different was the second half that Gurley ran the ball just twice in the second half for minus-1 yard.

Throttled

Once again, the decision seemed sound, but the call itself was lacking.

The Eagles couldn’t convert on a fourth-and-1 from the Rams’ 49 when Josh Adams was stopped for no gain.

That set up a short field for the Rams, who turned it into a field goal for a 10-6 lead.

Run to daylight

Amazing what can happen with a more sensible run-pass balance. The Eagles ran it 16 times, passed it 14 and finished the first half with 175 total yards and 13 points.

Not great, but considering the opponent, better than could have reasonably been expected.

The balance really started to pay off after intermission, when they started to turn the scoreboard over like a pinball machine, running their lead to 30-13 before holding on in a frantic finish.

The Eagles finished with 30 rushing attempts for 111 yards. Again, not great, but it helped them finish with a 31:36 to 28:24 advantage in time of possession.

That proved huge in a game they knew they needed to control at the line of scrimmage to have any chance.

In the end, they won some battles and lost some battles but both lines seemed to play better as the game wore on.

“We knew we had to stay balanced,” right tackle Lane Johnson said. “So I felt good that we came out and stayed with it.”